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Liang X, Huang F, Liu D, Xu M. Brain representations of lexical ambiguity: Disentangling homonymy, polysemy, and their meanings. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 253:105426. [PMID: 38815503 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
In human languages, it is a common phenomenon for a single word to have multiple meanings. This study used fMRI to investigate how the brain processed different types of lexical ambiguity, and how it differentiated the meanings of ambiguous words. We focused on homonyms and polysemy that differed in the relatedness among multiple meanings. Participants (N = 35) performed a prime-target semantic relatedness task, where a specific meaning of an ambiguous word was primed. Results showed that homonyms elicited greater activation in bilateral dorsal prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices than polysemous words, suggesting that these regions may be more engaged in cognitive control when the meanings of ambiguous words are unrelated. Multivariate pattern analysis further revealed that meanings of homonyms with different syntactic categories were represented differently in the frontal and temporal cortices. The findings highlighted the importance of semantic relations and grammatical factors in the brain's representation of lexical ambiguities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyuan Liang
- School of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Chinese Academy of Social Science, Beijing 100102, China
| | - Fuchun Huang
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Danqing Liu
- School of Humanities, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
| | - Min Xu
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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2
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Felsenheimer A, Rapp AM. Proverb comprehension in schizophrenia: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis.2. Compr Psychiatry 2024; 129:152444. [PMID: 38141588 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2023.152444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Examination of proverb comprehension has a long tradition in clinical diagnostics of individuals with schizophrenia (iSCZ). Deficits in the comprehension are considered common. Interpretations of proverbs are traditionally measured by their degree of abstraction and concreteness ('literalness'), but iSCZ's responses may also be illogical or 'bizarre'. Experimental research on proverb comprehension starts in the 1940s. Since then, the specificity of proverb tests has often been questioned, but has never been the subject of a meta-analysis. The aim of this meta-analysis is to include all experimental research, including historical studies, that meets quality criteria and compares the responses to proverbs in iSCZ with those in healthy controls (HC) or clinical controls (CC). METHODS PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo databases were searched. After coding 121 articles, 27 (median publication year 1982) were included and multi-level meta-analyses performed. Moderator analyses were performed on response format (multiple-choice vs. verbal responses), proverb test, scoring method, language, acute vs. chronic stage of iSCZ, time of publication, clinical vs. healthy control group, age, IQ/education, and gender. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plots, trim and fill method and Egger's test. RESULTS The search identified 27 eligible studies for inclusion. Studies were published between 1956 and 2020 and predominantly older than 30 years (median: 1982). The Gorham Proverbs Test was the most established test and predominantly conducted in English. CC mostly consisted of depressive disorders. Pooled estimates yielded statistically significant less abstract (g = -1.00; 95%CI, -1.34 to -1.67), more concrete (g = 0.69; 95%CI, 0.35-1.03), and more bizarre (g = 1.08; 95%CI, 0.74-1.41) responses in iSCZ compared to controls. The type of control group moderated all three effects, with greater differences of iSCZ compared to HC than to CC in abstraction and bizarreness, and no significant group difference between iSCZ and CC in concreteness. Meta-regressions indicated IQ/education and age as possible sources of variability in abstraction and bizarreness. CONCLUSIONS While lower abstraction and higher bizarreness seems a characteristic of iSCZ, the diagnostic specificity of a concrete response was astonishingly low. The lack of a unified definition for concretism and limited consideration of cultural diversity contributed to these complex findings. Future research should focus on exploring the qualitative aspects of proverb comprehension and the association between symptomatology types and misinterpretations to improve diagnostic accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Felsenheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; Max Planck School of Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstrasse 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexander M Rapp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
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Pilon F, Boisvert M, Potvin S. Losing the chain of thought: A meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies using verbal tasks in schizophrenia. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 169:238-246. [PMID: 38048673 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Disorganization symptoms are a main feature of schizophrenia, which include illogical and incoherent thinking, circumstantiality, tangentiality and loose associations. As these symptoms entail language deficits, several functional neuroimaging studies have been performed in schizophrenia using verbal tasks, producing somewhat heterogenous results. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis seeking to identify the most reliable neural alterations observed in schizophrenia patients during such tasks. METHODS Web of Sciences, PubMed, and EMBASE were searched for functional neuroimaging studies during verbal tasks (e.g. verbal fluency and semantic processing) in schizophrenia. Out of 795 screened articles, 33 were eligible for this meta-analysis. A coordinated-based meta-analysis was performed with the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) approach, using the cluster-level family-wise error (FWE) correction set at p < 0.05. RESULTS In schizophrenia, hyperactivations were observed in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and hypoactivations were observed in the right IFG, the precentral gyrus and the left caudate nucleus. Another analysis pooling hyper- and hypoactivations revealed altered activations, firstly, in the left IFG and MFG, secondly, in the left precentral gyrus, IFG and insula, and, thirdly, in the left angular gyrus and precuneus. In the light of these results, not only classic language-related regions are abnormally activated during verbal tasks in schizophrenia, but also brain regions involved in executive functions, autobiographical memory and, unexpectedly, in motor functions. Further functional neuroimaging studies are needed to investigate the role of the striatum in linguistic sequencing in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Pilon
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mélanie Boisvert
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Stéphane Potvin
- Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Huang Y, Huang J, Li L, Lin T, Zou L. Neural network of metaphor comprehension: an ALE meta-analysis and MACM analysis. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10918-10930. [PMID: 37718244 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The comprehension of metaphor, a vivid and figurative language, is a complex endeavor requiring cooperation among multiple cognitive systems. There are still many important questions regarding neural mechanisms implicated in specific types of metaphor. To address these questions, we conducted activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses on 30 studies (containing data of 480 participants) and meta-analytic connectivity modeling analyses. First, the results showed that metaphor comprehension engaged the inferior frontal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, lingual gyrus, and middle occipital gyrus-all in the left hemisphere. In addition to the commonly reported networks of language and attention, metaphor comprehension engaged networks of visual. Second, sub-analysis showed that the contextual complexity can modulate figurativeness, with the convergence on the left fusiform gyrus during metaphor comprehension at discourse-level. Especially, right hemisphere only showed convergence in studies of novel metaphors, suggesting that the right hemisphere is more associated with difficulty than metaphorical. The work here extends knowledge of the neural mechanisms underlying metaphor comprehension in individual brain regions and neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyang Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510280, China
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Jiayu Huang
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510280, China
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Le Li
- Center for the Cognitive Science of Language, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Tao Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510280, China
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
| | - Laiquan Zou
- Department of Psychiatry, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510280, China
- Chemical Senses and Mental Health Lab, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, China
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Chakrabarty M, Bhattacharya K, Chatterjee G, Biswas A, Ghosal M. Pragmatic deficits in patients with schizophrenia and right hemisphere damage: A pilot study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2023; 58:169-188. [PMID: 36073996 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While pragmatic deficits are well documented in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) and right hemisphere damage (RHD), there is a paucity of research comparing the pragmatic deficits of these two groups. Do they experience similar cognitive dysfunction or is there a dissociation between the two patient groups? AIMS To investigate the nature of pragmatic deficits in these two groups and to gain an understanding of the underlying cognitive mechanisms that might be associated with these deficits to further future investigations. METHODS & PROCEDURES A total of 60 participants (15 patients with SCZ; 15 with RHD; 30 (15 + 15) healthy controls (HC) were administered the Bengali Audio-Visual Test-Battery for Assessment of Pragmatic Skills. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Both SCZ and RHD patients were found to have significant pragmatic deficits compared with their matched controls. SCZ patients were found to score significantly better than the RHD group in six out of the 10 pragmatic skills when controlled for age and education. Discriminant function analysis was performed and 86.7% of the cases (HC = 100%, SCZ = 73.3% and RHD = 86.7%) were correctly reclassified into their original categories using the test scores. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS The study suggests that there is heterogeneity in the nature of the pragmatic breakdown within and across patient groups. Therefore, individualized restorative measures targeting the disrupted cognitive mechanism(s) might help elevate pragmatic competence and enhance the social functioning of patients with pragmatic deficits. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on the subject Pragmatic deficits are common in adults with cognitive impairments of different etiologies. However, few studies have explored pragmatic deficits across clinical populations. Consequently, very little is known about the nature of pragmatic deficits in patients with schizophrenia and right hemisphere damage. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This work offers preliminary data on pragmatic difficulties in patients with schizophrenia and right hemisphere damage. This study overrides the boundaries of traditional classifications and evaluates pragmatic difficulties in these two clinical populations with reference to the underlying cognitive mechanisms, which might be disrupted. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The study adds a transdiagnostic perspective suggesting that there might be heterogeneity in pragmatic deficits, both within and across patient groups, and stresses the need for individualized therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Garga Chatterjee
- Psychology Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Atanu Biswas
- Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, IPGME&R, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
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Bambini V, Frau F, Bischetti L, Cuoco F, Bechi M, Buonocore M, Agostoni G, Ferri I, Sapienza J, Martini F, Spangaro M, Bigai G, Cocchi F, Cavallaro R, Bosia M. Deconstructing heterogeneity in schizophrenia through language: a semi-automated linguistic analysis and data-driven clustering approach. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 8:102. [PMID: 36446789 PMCID: PMC9708845 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-022-00306-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Previous works highlighted the relevance of automated language analysis for predicting diagnosis in schizophrenia, but a deeper language-based data-driven investigation of the clinical heterogeneity through the illness course has been generally neglected. Here we used a semiautomated multidimensional linguistic analysis innovatively combined with a machine-driven clustering technique to characterize the speech of 67 individuals with schizophrenia. Clusters were then compared for psychopathological, cognitive, and functional characteristics. We identified two subgroups with distinctive linguistic profiles: one with higher fluency, lower lexical variety but greater use of psychological lexicon; the other with reduced fluency, greater lexical variety but reduced psychological lexicon. The former cluster was associated with lower symptoms and better quality of life, pointing to the existence of specific language profiles, which also show clinically meaningful differences. These findings highlight the importance of considering language disturbances in schizophrenia as multifaceted and approaching them in automated and data-driven ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bambini
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Federico Frau
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Bischetti
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Federica Cuoco
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Bechi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Buonocore
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Agostoni
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Ferri
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Sapienza
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Martini
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Spangaro
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgia Bigai
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Cocchi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Cavallaro
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Bosia
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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Bambini V, Agostoni G, Buonocore M, Tonini E, Bechi M, Ferri I, Sapienza J, Martini F, Cuoco F, Cocchi F, Bischetti L, Cavallaro R, Bosia M. It is time to address language disorders in schizophrenia: A RCT on the efficacy of a novel training targeting the pragmatics of communication (PragmaCom). JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2022; 97:106196. [PMID: 35526293 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2022.106196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Language and communication disruptions in schizophrenia are at the center of a large body of investigation. Yet, the remediation of such disruptions is still in its infancy. Here we targeted what is known to be one of the most damaged language domains in schizophrenia, namely pragmatics, by conducting a pragmatics-centered intervention with a randomized controlled trial design and assessing also durability and generalization. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study with these characteristics. METHODS Inspired by the Gricean account of natural language use, we tailored a novel treatment addressing the pragmatics of communication (PragmaCom) and we tested its efficacy in a sample of individuals with schizophrenia randomized to the experimental group or to an active control group. The primary outcome with respect to the efficacy of the PragmaCom was measured by changes in pragmatic abilities (as evaluated with the global score of the Assessment of Pragmatic Abilities and Cognitive Substrates test) from baseline to 12 weeks and at 3-month follow-up. The secondary outcome was measured by changes in metaphor comprehension, abstract thinking, and global functioning from baseline to 12 weeks and at 3-month follow-up. RESULTS Relative to the control group, at post-test the PragmaCom group showed greater and enduring improvement in global pragmatic skills and in metaphor comprehension. At follow-up, these improvements persisted and the PragmaCom exerted beneficial effects also on functioning. CONCLUSIONS Despite the limited sample size, we believe that these findings offer initial yet encouraging evidence of the possibility to improve pragmatic skills with a theoretically grounded approach and to obtain durable and clinically relevant benefits. We argue that it is time that therapeutic efforts embrace communicative dysfunctions in order to improve illness outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bambini
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, Italy.
| | - Giulia Agostoni
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Buonocore
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Tonini
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, Italy
| | - Margherita Bechi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Ferri
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Jacopo Sapienza
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Martini
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Cuoco
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Cocchi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Bischetti
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, Italy
| | - Roberto Cavallaro
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Bosia
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
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Gao Z, Ma X, Zhou X, Xin F, Gao S, Kou J, Becker B, Kendrick KM. Oxytocin Reduces the Attractiveness of Silver-Tongued Men for Women During Mid-Cycle. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:760695. [PMID: 35573309 PMCID: PMC9097854 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.760695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, the neuropeptide oxytocin promotes both attraction toward and bonds with romantic partners, although no studies have investigated whether this extends to the perceived attractiveness of flirtatious language. In a within-subject, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled behavior and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm (https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03144115), 75 women rated the attractiveness of either a male face alone or paired with a verbal compliment which varied in terms of topic (women or landscapes) and figurativeness (novel or conventional metaphors or literal expressions). Subjects were tested in fertile and luteal phases of their cycle and on both occasions received either 24 IU intranasal oxytocin or placebo. Results showed that, whereas under placebo women in the fertile phase rated the facial attractiveness of men producing novel metaphorical compliments higher than in their luteal phase, following oxytocin treatment they did not. Correspondingly, under oxytocin the faces of individuals producing novel metaphorical compliments evoked greater responses in brain regions involved in processing language (middle frontal gyrus) and cognitive and emotional conflict (posterior middle cingulate and dorsal anterior cingulate) but reduced functional connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate and right orbitofrontal and medial frontal gyri. Thus, sex hormones and oxytocin may have opposite effects in regulating mate selection in women during their fertile phase. Novel metaphorical compliments convey a greater sexual than bonding intention and thus while sex hormones at mid-cycle may promote attraction to individuals communicating sexual rather than bonding intent, oxytocin may bias attraction away from such individuals through increasing cognitive and emotional conflict responses toward them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao Gao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaole Ma
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- School of Educational Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Xinqi Zhou
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Fei Xin
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Shan Gao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Juan Kou
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Keith M. Kendrick
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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Koller S, Müller N, Kauschke C. The Elephant in the Room: A Systematic Review of Stimulus Control in Neuro-Measurement Studies on Figurative Language Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:791374. [PMID: 35126074 PMCID: PMC8814624 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.791374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The processing of metaphors and idioms has been the subject of neuroscientific research for several decades. However, results are often contradictory, which can be traced back to inconsistent terminology and stimulus control. In this systematic review of research methods, we analyse linguistic aspects of 116 research papers which used EEG, fMRI, PET, MEG, or NIRS to investigate the neural processing of the two figurative subtypes metaphor and idiom. We critically examine the theoretical foundations as well as stimulus control by performing a systematic literature synthesis according to the PRISMA guidelines. We explicitly do not analyse the findings of the studies but instead focus on four primary aspects: definitions of figurative language and its subtypes, linguistic theory behind the studies, control for factors influencing figurative language processing, and the relationship between theoretical and operational definitions. We found both a lack and a broad variety in existing definitions and operationalisation, especially in regard to familiarity and conventionality. We identify severe obstacles in the comparability and validation potential of the results of the papers in our review corpus. We propose the development of a consensus in fundamental terminology and more transparency in the reporting of stimulus design in the research on figurative language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadine Müller
- Department of German Studies and Arts, Institute of German Linguistics, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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Yoon HD, Shin M, Jeon HA. The critical role of interference control in metaphor comprehension evidenced by the drift-diffusion model. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19292. [PMID: 34588490 PMCID: PMC8481255 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98351-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We address the question of, among several executive functions, which one has a strong influence on metaphor comprehension. To this end, participants took part in a metaphor comprehension task where metaphors had varying levels of familiarity (familiar vs. novel metaphors) with different conditions of context (supporting vs. opposing contexts). We scrutinized each participant's detailed executive functions using seven neuropsychological tests. More interestingly, we modelled their responses in metaphor comprehension using the drift-diffusion model, in an attempt to provide more systematic accounts of the processes underlying metaphor comprehension. Results showed that there were significant negative correlations between response times in metaphor comprehension and scores of the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT)-Semantic, suggesting that better performances in comprehending metaphors were strongly associated with better interference control. Using the drift-diffusion model, we found that the familiarity, compared to context, had greater leverage in the decision process for metaphor comprehension. Moreover, individuals with better performance in the COWAT-Semantic test demonstrated higher drift rates. In conclusion, with more fine-grained analysis of the decisions involved in metaphor comprehension using the drift-diffusion model, we argue that interference control plays an important role in processing metaphors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee-Dong Yoon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Korea
- Convergence Research Advance Center for Olfaction, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Korea
| | - Minho Shin
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Korea
| | - Hyeon-Ae Jeon
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Korea.
- Convergence Research Advance Center for Olfaction, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Korea.
- Partner Group of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences at the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, DGIST, Daegu, Korea.
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11
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Adamczyk P, Jáni M, Ligeza TS, Płonka O, Błądziński P, Wyczesany M. On the Role of Bilateral Brain Hypofunction and Abnormal Lateralization of Cortical Information Flow as Neural Underpinnings of Conventional Metaphor Processing Impairment in Schizophrenia: An fMRI and EEG Study. Brain Topogr 2021; 34:537-554. [PMID: 33973137 PMCID: PMC8195899 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-021-00849-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Figurative language processing (e.g. metaphors) is commonly impaired in schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the neural activity and propagation of information within neural circuits related to the figurative speech, as a neural substrate of impaired conventional metaphor processing in schizophrenia. The study included 30 schizophrenia outpatients and 30 healthy controls, all of whom were assessed with a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) punchline-based metaphor comprehension task including literal (neutral), figurative (metaphorical) and nonsense (absurd) endings. The blood oxygenation level-dependent signal was recorded with 3T MRI scanner and direction and strength of cortical information flow in the time course of task processing was estimated with a 64-channel EEG input for directed transfer function. The presented results revealed that the behavioral manifestation of impaired figurative language in schizophrenia is related to the hypofunction in the bilateral fronto-temporo-parietal brain regions (fMRI) and various differences in effective connectivity in the fronto-temporo-parietal circuit (EEG). Schizophrenia outpatients showed an abnormal pattern of connectivity during metaphor processing which was related to bilateral (but more pronounced at the left hemisphere) hypoactivation of the brain. Moreover, we found reversed lateralization patterns, i.e. a rightward-shifted pattern during metaphor processing in schizophrenia compared to the control group. In conclusion, the presented findings revealed that the impairment of the conventional metaphor processing in schizophrenia is related to the bilateral brain hypofunction, which supports the evidence on reversed lateralization of the language neural network and the existence of compensatory recruitment of alternative neural circuits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Adamczyk
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Martin Jáni
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland.,Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomasz S Ligeza
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Olga Płonka
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Piotr Błądziński
- Community Psychiatry and Psychosis Research Center, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Wyczesany
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
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12
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The interplay between inhibitory control and metaphor conventionality. Mem Cognit 2021; 49:1267-1284. [PMID: 33616866 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-021-01152-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
When a metaphor is first encountered (lawyers are sharks), several meanings are activated, but the literal ones (lawyers have fins) need to be inhibited to successfully compute the figurative meaning (lawyers are aggressive). With repeated exposure that metaphor becomes conventionalized, and its figurative meaning may be easily accessible without the need to inhibit the corresponding literal meaning. Thus, a central question in the field, and the objective of the current project, relates to how metaphor conventionality and inhibitory control contribute to metaphor comprehension. Participants completed a sense-nonsense task in which they indicated whether metaphorical and literal phrases had sensible meanings. In Experiment 1, participants also completed an inhibitory control task that assessed their ability to inhibit task-irrelevant responses. Participants with lower inhibitory control were slower at responding to more novel metaphors and faster at responding to more conventional metaphors compared with participants with higher inhibitory control. In Experiment 2, we used a dual-task paradigm to reduce participants' inhibitory control resources while performing the sense-nonsense task. Participants completed the sense-nonsense task concurrently with a different secondary task. This assessed their ability to evaluate phrases under low and high inhibitory load conditions. Performance on the sense-nonsense task was higher when processing more conventional than more novel metaphors when participants' inhibitory control processes were taxed in the high load condition. These findings suggest that inhibitory control does play a role in metaphor comprehension-the less conventional a metaphor, the more inhibitory skills are required to compute the figurative meaning.
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13
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Bambini V, Arcara G, Bosinelli F, Buonocore M, Bechi M, Cavallaro R, Bosia M. A leopard cannot change its spots: A novel pragmatic account of concretism in schizophrenia. Neuropsychologia 2020; 139:107332. [PMID: 31923528 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Concretism is a well-known feature of schizophrenia, tracing back to the early descriptions of the disease and commonly associated with the literal interpretation of figurative expressions such as proverbs, metaphors, and idioms. However, figurative expressions are not all alike in terms of linguistic and pragmatic processes. Determining if some figurative types are more impaired than others and if the type of task affects the performance constitutes an open issue with implications for the description of the clinical profile and for treatment. We run a fine-grained assessment of figurative language comprehension by comparing 47 patients with schizophrenia and 39 controls in three figurative types (idioms, metaphors, proverbs) presented in two response formats (multiple-choice, verbal-explanation), considering also the role of cognitive and clinical variables and the impact on quality of life. Mixed-effects models analysis revealed that: i) patients performed worse than controls across figurative types and response formats, indicating a diffuse impairment; ii) there is an interplay of figurative type and response format, which makes verbal-explanation of proverbs especially challenging; iii) in patients, problems in figurative language are largely connected with formal thought disorder and global IQ. Moreover, multiple-choice of metaphors was associated with patients' quality of life. This study offers a novel account of concretism, framed in pragmatics and figurative language processing. Adopting this perspective allowed us to describe the nuances of concretism, which areas in the figurative domain are especially challenging for patients and which ones capture differences in functioning, in order to guide intervention programs and integration in society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bambini
- Center for Neurocognition, Epistemology and Theoretical Syntax (NEtS), University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | | | - Francesca Bosinelli
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Mariachiara Buonocore
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Margherita Bechi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Cavallaro
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Bosia
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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14
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Karabanowicz E, Tyburski E, Karasiewicz K, Sokołowski A, Mak M, Folkierska-Żukowska M, Radziwiłłowicz W. Metaphor Processing Dysfunctions in Schizophrenia Patients With and Without Substance Use Disorders. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:331. [PMID: 32390887 PMCID: PMC7193109 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with schizophrenia have difficulties comprehending metaphors, which significantly impedes communication. However, this topic has not been thoroughly studied in people with a dual diagnosis. On this basis, we formulated two research aims: a) to compare the ability to comprehend metaphors in schizophrenia patients without (SZ) and with substance use disorder (SZ-SUD) and b) to determine the relationship between the processing of metaphorical content and the severity of psychopathological symptoms in both clinical groups. METHODS A total of 40 individuals with SZ and 40 individuals with SZ-SUD took part in the study. The control group was composed of 40 individuals without a psychiatric or neurological diagnosis. Four subtests from the Right Hemisphere Language Battery (Picture Metaphor Test, Written Metaphor Test, Picture Metaphor Explanation Test, Written Metaphor Explanation Test) were used to measure the ability to understand and explain metaphors. RESULTS Both groups of individuals with schizophrenia (SZ and SZ-SUD) scored lower than individuals from the control group on all tests of metaphor processing. However, no differences were observed between the two clinical groups. SZ-SUD patients had better results for Picture Metaphor Explanation than for Written Metaphor Explanation. Negative symptoms were found to be significant predictors of difficulties with understanding and explaining metaphors. CONCLUSION Individuals with schizophrenia, regardless of their substance use disorder (SUD) status, exhibit impaired metaphorical content processing. SUD in schizophrenia is not associated with significant impairments in understanding and explaining metaphorical content. Moreover, impairments in processing metaphorical content are associated with more severe negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Karabanowicz
- Institute of Psychology, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Ernest Tyburski
- Institute of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poznan, Poland
| | | | - Andrzej Sokołowski
- Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Monika Mak
- Independent Clinical Psychology Unit, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Monika Folkierska-Żukowska
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Behavioural Genetics Research, Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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15
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A Quantitative Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging Studies of Pragmatic Language Comprehension: In Search of a Universal Neural Substrate. Neuroscience 2018; 395:60-88. [PMID: 30414881 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 10/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Pragmatics may be defined as the ability to communicate by expressing and recognizing intentions. The objective of this meta-analysis was to identify neural substrates for comprehension of pragmatic content in general, as well as the differences between pragmatic forms, and to describe if there is differential recruitment of brain areas according to natural language. This meta-analysis included 48 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies that reported pragmatic versus literal language contrasts. The pragmatic forms were speech acts, metaphors, idioms, and irony. Effect Size-Signed Differential Mapping software was used to calculate the mean for all contrasts as well as for each pragmatic form, and make comparisons among all forms. Due to variations in pragmatic content configuration such as natural language, stimulus modality, and writing systems, these variations were also analyzed with subgroups' analyses. The analyses found a highly reproducible bilateral fronto-temporal and medial prefrontal cortex network for pragmatic comprehension. Each pragmatic form showed a specific convergence pattern within this bilateral network. Natural language analyses showed that fronto-temporal regions were recruited by Germanic languages, while only left frontal areas were recruited by Romance languages, and right medial prefrontal cortex by Japanese. In conclusion, pragmatic language comprehension involves classical language areas in bilateral perisylvian regions, along with the medial prefrontal cortex, an area involved in social cognition. Together, these areas could represent the "pragmatic language network". Nonetheless, when proposing a universal neural substrate for all forms of pragmatic language, the diversity among studies in terms of pragmatic form, and configuration, must be taken into consideration.
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16
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Kircher T, Bröhl H, Meier F, Engelen J. Formal thought disorders: from phenomenology to neurobiology. Lancet Psychiatry 2018; 5:515-526. [PMID: 29678679 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30059-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Formal thought disorder (FTD) is present in most psychiatric disorders and in some healthy individuals. In this Review, we present a comprehensive, integrative, and multilevel account of what is known about FTD, covering genetic, cellular, and neurotransmitter effects, environmental influences, experimental psychology and neuropsychology, brain imaging, phenomenology, linguistics, and treatment. FTD is a dimensional, phenomenologically defined construct, which can be clinically subdivided into positive versus negative and objective versus subjective symptom clusters. Because FTDs have been traditionally linked to schizophrenia, studies in other diagnoses are scarce. Aetiologically, FTD is the only symptom under genetic influence in schizophrenia as shown in linkage studies, but familial communication patterns (allusive thinking) have also been associated with the condition. Positive FTDs are related to synaptic rarefication in the glutamate system of the superior and middle lateral temporal cortices. Cortical volume of the left superior temporal gyrus is decreased in patients with schizophrenia who have positive FTD in structural MRI studies and shows reversed hemispheric (right more than left) activation in functional MRI experiments during speech production. Semantic network dysfunction in positive FTD has been demonstrated in experiments of indirect semantic hyperpriming (reaction time). In acute positive FTD, antipsychotics are effective, but a subgroup of patients have treatment-resistant, chronic, positive or negative FTD. Specific psychotherapy as treatment for FTD has not yet been developed. With this solid data on the pathogenesis of FTD, we can now implement clinical studies to treat this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Marburg University, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Henrike Bröhl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Marburg University, Marburg, Germany
| | - Felicitas Meier
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Marburg University, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Engelen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Marburg University, Marburg, Germany
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17
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Rossetti I, Brambilla P, Papagno C. Metaphor Comprehension in Schizophrenic Patients. Front Psychol 2018; 9:670. [PMID: 29867648 PMCID: PMC5954116 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
People with schizophrenia often exhibit difficulties to comprehend figurative expressions, such as irony, proverbs, metaphors and idioms, with a general proneness to neglect the figurative meaning and to accept the more literal one. This inability is usually referred to as concretism and it constitutes a clinical manifestation of the broader language dysfunction called Formal Thought Disorder. The current review focuses on the neuropsychological and neuroanatomical underpinnings of schizophrenics’ misinterpretation of a subgroup of figurative expressions, i.e., metaphors. Metaphors are heterogeneous in nature, classifiable according to various criteria; for instance, metaphors can be conventional and familiar, or conversely, novel and unusual. These linguistic distinctions are substantial because the comprehension of the different types of metaphor entails partially different cognitive strategies and neural substrates. This review gathers studies that have directly investigated which neurocognitive deficits explain the inefficient comprehension of metaphor in schizophrenia. Several impairments have been put forward, such as general intelligence, executive functions and theory of mind deficits. Moreover, the neural correlates of metaphor comprehension in schizophrenia, like the left inferior/medial frontal gyrus and the temporal lobe, match those cortices affected by the neuropathology of schizophrenia. Even though the causal defective mechanism is still a matter of investigation, we provide an attempt to integrate existing findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana Rossetti
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Bosisio Parini, Italy.,Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Costanza Papagno
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Center for Mind/Brain Sciences and Centro di Riabilitazione Neurocognitiva, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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18
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Perlini C, Bellani M, Finos L, Lasalvia A, Bonetto C, Scocco P, D'Agostino A, Torresani S, Imbesi M, Bellini F, Konze A, Veronese A, Ruggeri M, Brambilla P. Non literal language comprehension in a large sample of first episode psychosis patients in adulthood. Psychiatry Res 2018; 260:78-89. [PMID: 29175503 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
To date no data still exist on the comprehension of figurative language in the early phases of psychosis. The aim of this study is to investigate for the first time the comprehension of metaphors and idioms at the onset of the illness. Two-hundred-twenty eight (228) first episode psychosis (FEP) patients (168 NAP, non-affective psychosis; 60 AP, affective psychosis) and 70 healthy controls (HC) were assessed. Groups were contrasted on: a) type of stimulus (metaphors vs idioms) and b) type of response (OPEN = spontaneous explanations vs CLOSED = multiple choice answer). Moreover, a machine learning (ML) approach was adopted to classifying participants. Both NAP and AP had a poorer performance on OPEN metaphors and idioms compared to HC, with worse results on spontaneous interpretation of idioms than metaphors. No differences were observed between NAP and AP in CLOSED tasks. The ML approach points at CLOSED idioms as the best discriminating variable, more relevant than the set of pre-frontal and IQ scores. Deficits in non-figurative language may represent a core feature of psychosis. The possibility to identify linguistic features discriminating FEP may support the early recognition of patients at risk to develop psychosis, guiding provision of personalized and timely interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Perlini
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Marcella Bellani
- UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy
| | - Livio Finos
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Italy
| | - Antonio Lasalvia
- UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Bonetto
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Paolo Scocco
- Department of Mental Health, AULSS 6 Euganea, Padua, Italy
| | - Armando D'Agostino
- Department of Health Sciences, San Paolo University Hospital, University of Milan, Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Torresani
- Department of Psychiatry, ULSS, Bolzano Suedtiroler Sanitaetbetrieb- Azienda Sanitaria dell'Alto Adige, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | | | - Angela Konze
- SOC Radiology - S.Maria Nuova Hospital, Usl Central Tuscany, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Mirella Ruggeri
- UOC of Psychiatry, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata (AOUI) of Verona, Italy; Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Psychiatric Clinic, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Texas at Houston, TX, USA.
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19
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Rapp AM, Felsenheimer AK, Langohr K, Klupp M. The Comprehension of Familiar and Novel Metaphoric Meanings in Schizophrenia: A Pilot Study. Front Psychol 2018; 8:2251. [PMID: 29354082 PMCID: PMC5760836 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Miscomprehension of nonliteral (“figurative”) language like metaphors, proverbs, idioms, and ironic expressions by patients with schizophrenia is a phenomenon mentioned already in historical psychiatric descriptions. However, it was only recently that studies did differentiate between novel and conventional metaphors, a factor that is known to influence the difficulty of comprehension in healthy subjects. Further, familiarity with stimuli is an important factor for comprehension, which was not recommended in utmost previous studies. In this study, 23 patients with DSM IV schizophrenia and 19 healthy control subjects performed a newly-developed German metaphor comprehension test with three types of stimuli: novel metaphors, conventional German metaphors, and meaningless statements. During the test procedure, participants indicated familiarity with the stimulus and then matched the meaning with one out of four given alternatives. Familiarity rankings did not significantly differ between patients and control subjects. However, on descriptive level, there was a tendency for healthy controls to be more familiar with conventional metaphors than schizophrenic patients. Further, comprehension of conventional and novel metaphors differed significantly between the groups, with higher performance in healthy controls. Considering only those metaphors that had been ranked as familiar, patients only revealed significant lower performance opposed to controls regarding novel metaphors, while they did not differ in conventional metaphors. Taken together, the results indicate that patients with schizophrenia might show an altered way of comprehension in novel metaphors, leading to more misunderstandings. However, their previously reported impairments in conventional metaphors might rather be due to a lack of familiarity with the stimuli—making conventional metaphors to novel metaphors in the individual case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Rapp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anne K Felsenheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karin Langohr
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Magdalena Klupp
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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20
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Saban-Bezalel R, Mashal N. Comprehension and Hemispheric Processing of Irony in Schizophrenia. Front Psychol 2017; 8:943. [PMID: 28659841 PMCID: PMC5468428 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies focusing on the comprehension of figurative language among schizophrenia patients (SZ) reveal their difficulties comprehending such language and their tendency to interpret it literally. The present study investigated hemispheric processing and comprehension of irony in 16 SZ patients and 18 typically developing (TD) adults. Two experimental tasks were used: an online divided visual field experiment and an offline irony questionnaire. The results show an atypical reversal of hemispheric processing of irony in SZ patients as compared to TD adults. While the TD group demonstrated a right hemisphere advantage in processing irony, SZ patients demonstrated a left hemisphere advantage. Greater comprehension of irony was associated with decreased negative symptoms. In addition, under conditions that not involving a time restriction, the SZ patients’ performance improved. Our findings reinforce those of previous studies suggesting that brain lateralization is atypical in SZ patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nira Mashal
- The School of Education, Bar Ilan UniversityRamat Gan, Israel.,Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan UniversityRamat Gan, Israel
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21
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Adamczyk P, Wyczesany M, Domagalik A, Daren A, Cepuch K, Błądziński P, Cechnicki A, Marek T. Neural circuit of verbal humor comprehension in schizophrenia - an fMRI study. Neuroimage Clin 2017; 15:525-540. [PMID: 28652967 PMCID: PMC5473647 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit problems with understanding the figurative meaning of language. This study evaluates neural correlates of diminished humor comprehension observed in schizophrenia. The study included chronic schizophrenia (SCH) outpatients (n = 20), and sex, age and education level matched healthy controls (n = 20). The fMRI punchline based humor comprehension task consisted of 60 stories of which 20 had funny, 20 nonsensical and 20 neutral (not funny) punchlines. After the punchlines were presented, the participants were asked to indicate whether the story was comprehensible and how funny it was. Three contrasts were analyzed in both groups reflecting stages of humor processing: abstract vs neutral stories - incongruity detection; funny vs abstract - incongruity resolution and elaboration; and funny vs neutral - complete humor processing. Additionally, parametric modulation analysis was performed using both subjective ratings separately. Between-group comparisons revealed that the SCH subjects had attenuated activation in the right posterior superior temporal gyrus (BA 41) in case of irresolvable incongruity processing of nonsensical puns; in the left dorsomedial middle and superior frontal gyri (BA 8/9) in case of incongruity resolution and elaboration processing of funny puns; and in the interhemispheric dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (BA 24) in case of complete processing of funny puns. Additionally, during comprehensibility ratings the SCH group showed a suppressed activity in the left dorsomedial middle and superior frontal gyri (BA 8/9) and revealed weaker activation during funniness ratings in the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (BA 24). Interestingly, these differences in the SCH group were accompanied behaviorally by a protraction of time in both types of rating responses and by indicating funny punchlines less comprehensible. Summarizing, our results indicate neural substrates of humor comprehension processing impairments in schizophrenia, which is accompanied by fronto-temporal hypoactivation.
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Key Words
- ABS, absurd/nonsensical punchline
- ACC, anterior cingulate cortex
- BA, Brodmann's area
- CON, healthy controls/control group
- Communication skills
- EEG, electroencephalography
- ERPs, EEG event-related potentials
- FDR, False Discovery Rate
- FUN, funny punchline
- FWHM, full-width-at-half-maximum
- Figurative meaning
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging
- GLM, general linear model
- Humor
- IFG, inferior frontal gyrus
- IPL, Inferior Parietal Lobule
- ISI, interstimulus-interval
- L, left hemisphere
- MFG, medial frontal gyrus
- MNI, Montreal Neurological Institute coordinates
- MOG, middle occipital gyrus
- MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
- MTG, middle temporal gyrus
- MoCA, Montreal Cognitive Assessment
- NEU, neutral/unfunny punchline
- PANSS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale
- PFC, prefrontal cortex
- R, right hemisphere
- RHLB, Right Hemisphere Language Battery
- RT, reaction time
- SCH, schizophrenia outpatients/clinical group
- SD, standard deviations
- SEM, standard error of the mean
- SFG, Superior Frontal Gyrus
- SOA, stimulus onset asynchrony
- STG, superior temporal gyrus
- Schizophrenia
- TP, temporal pole
- TPJ, temporoparietal junction
- ToM, theory of mind.
- dACC, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex
- dlPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
- dmMFG, dorsomedial Middle Frontal Gyrus
- fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging
- fNIRS, functional near-infrared spectroscopy
- k, number of voxels in analyzed cluster size
- ns, non-significant group difference
- pSTG, posterior Superior Temporal Gyrus
- sLORETA, standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography analysis
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Adamczyk
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Psychosis Research and Psychotherapy Unit, Association for the Development of Psychiatry and Community Care, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Miroslaw Wyczesany
- Psychophysiology Laboratory, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Domagalik
- Neurobiology Department, The Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Artur Daren
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Psychosis Research and Psychotherapy Unit, Association for the Development of Psychiatry and Community Care, Krakow, Poland
| | - Kamil Cepuch
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroergonomics, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Piotr Błądziński
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Andrzej Cechnicki
- Department of Community Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Psychosis Research and Psychotherapy Unit, Association for the Development of Psychiatry and Community Care, Krakow, Poland
| | - Tadeusz Marek
- Neurobiology Department, The Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroergonomics, Institute of Applied Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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Saban-Bezalel R, Hess S, Dolfin D, Hermesh H, Vishne T, Mashal N. Hemispheric processing of idioms in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2017.1325893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Saban-Bezalel
- School of Education, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
- School of Health Sciences, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Shmuel Hess
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Dror Dolfin
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
| | - Hagai Hermesh
- Geha Mental Health Center, Petah Tikva, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medical, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
| | - Tali Vishne
- Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center, Bnei Brak, Israel
| | - Nira Mashal
- Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center, Bnei Brak, Israel
- Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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23
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Bernard JA, Russell CE, Newberry RE, Goen JR, Mittal VA. Patients with schizophrenia show aberrant patterns of basal ganglia activation: Evidence from ALE meta-analysis. Neuroimage Clin 2017; 14:450-463. [PMID: 28275545 PMCID: PMC5328905 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 12/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The diverse circuits and functional contributions of the basal ganglia, coupled with known differences in dopaminergic function in patients with schizophrenia, suggest they may be an important contributor to the etiology of the hallmark symptoms and cognitive dysfunction experienced by these patients. Using activation-likelihood-estimation meta-analysis of functional imaging research, we investigated differences in activation patterns in the basal ganglia in patients with schizophrenia, relative to healthy controls across task domains. This analysis included 42 functional neuroimaging studies, representing a variety of behavioral domains that have been linked to basal ganglia function in prior work. We provide important new information about the functional activation patterns and functional topography of the basal ganglia for different task domains in healthy controls. Crucially however, we demonstrate that across task domains, patients with schizophrenia show markedly decreased activation in the basal ganglia relative to healthy controls. Our results provide further support for basal ganglia dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia, and the broad dysfunction across task domains may contribute to the symptoms and cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A. Bernard
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, United States
- Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, Texas A&M University, United States
| | - Courtney E. Russell
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States
| | - Raeana E. Newberry
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, United States
| | - James R.M. Goen
- Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, United States
| | - Vijay A. Mittal
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Northwestern University, United States
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, United States
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, United States
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24
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Siddi S, Petretto DR, Scanu R, Burrai C, Baita A, Trincas P, Trogu E, Campus L, Contu A, Preti A. Deficits in metaphor but not in idiomatic processing are related to verbal hallucinations in patients with psychosis. Psychiatry Res 2016; 246:101-112. [PMID: 27690132 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 09/18/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
There is scant evidence that the verbal cognitive deficits observed in patients with psychosis are related to auditory verbal hallucinations. The understanding of metaphors and idiomatic expressions was investigated in a cohort of 90 patients with active psychosis, and in 44 healthy controls. The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS: verbal hallucinations subscale) was used to measure the current verbal hallucinations episode; a subscore of the Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale was used to measure long-term propensity to auditory verbal hallucination-like experiences (HLEs) in the sample. The concurrent influence of education, IQ, and cognitive functioning in memory, attention, fluency, and processing speed on metaphor and idioms processing was investigated. Patients performed worse than healthy controls on all neuropsychological measures. Metaphor, but not idioms processing was poorer in patients with verbal hallucinations (n=46) when compared to patients without verbal hallucinations in the current episode (n=44). By taking into account confounding variables, the ability to produce explanations of metaphors was related to scores on the verbal HLEs in the whole sample of patients. Metaphor-comprehension deficit was related to the occurrence of auditory verbal hallucinations in patients with psychosis, suggesting that abnormal pragmatic inferential abilities have an impact on the mechanisms that cause hallucinatory experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Siddi
- Section of Clinical Psychology, Department of Education, Psychology, and Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Italy; Research and Development Unit, Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain, CIBERSAM; Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Donatella Rita Petretto
- Section of Clinical Psychology, Department of Education, Psychology, and Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Rosanna Scanu
- Section of Clinical Psychology, Department of Education, Psychology, and Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Italy
| | - Caterina Burrai
- Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment Service I, Department of Mental Health, ASL Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Antonella Baita
- Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment Service I, Department of Mental Health, ASL Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Pierfranco Trincas
- Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment Service II, Department of Mental Health, ASL Cagliari, Cagliary, Italy
| | - Emanuela Trogu
- Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment Service II, Department of Mental Health, ASL Cagliari, Cagliary, Italy
| | - Liliana Campus
- Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment Service I, Department of Mental Health, ASL Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Augusto Contu
- Head, Department of Mental Health, ASL Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Antonio Preti
- Section of Clinical Psychology, Department of Education, Psychology, and Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Italy; Genneruxi Medical Center, Cagliari, Italy
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25
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Alústiza I, Radua J, Albajes-Eizagirre A, Domínguez M, Aubá E, Ortuño F. Meta-Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging and Cognitive Control Studies in Schizophrenia: Preliminary Elucidation of a Core Dysfunctional Timing Network. Front Psychol 2016; 7:192. [PMID: 26925013 PMCID: PMC4756542 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Timing and other cognitive processes demanding cognitive control become interlinked when there is an increase in the level of difficulty or effort required. Both functions are interrelated and share neuroanatomical bases. A previous meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies found that people with schizophrenia had significantly lower activation, relative to normal controls, of most right hemisphere regions of the time circuit. This finding suggests that a pattern of disconnectivity of this circuit, particularly in the supplementary motor area, is a trait of this mental disease. We hypothesize that a dysfunctional temporal/cognitive control network underlies both cognitive and psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenia and that timing dysfunction is at the root of the cognitive deficits observed. The goal of our study was to look, in schizophrenia patients, for brain structures activated both by execution of cognitive tasks requiring increased effort and by performance of time perception tasks. We conducted a signed differential mapping (SDM) meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies in schizophrenia patients assessing the brain response to increasing levels of cognitive difficulty. Then, we performed a multimodal meta-analysis to identify common brain regions in the findings of that SDM meta-analysis and our previously-published activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis of neuroimaging of time perception in schizophrenia patients. The current study supports the hypothesis that there exists an overlap between neural structures engaged by both timing tasks and non-temporal cognitive tasks of escalating difficulty in schizophrenia. The implication is that a deficit in timing can be considered as a trait marker of the schizophrenia cognitive profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Alústiza
- Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Clínica Universidad de NavarraPamplona, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de NavarraNavarra, Spain
| | - Joaquim Radua
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings CollegeLondon, UK; FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalaries Hospital Sant RafaelBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédicaen Redde Salud MentalBarcelona, Spain
| | - Anton Albajes-Eizagirre
- FIDMAG Germanes Hospitalaries Hospital Sant RafaelBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédicaen Redde Salud MentalBarcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel Domínguez
- Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Clínica Universidad de NavarraPamplona, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de NavarraNavarra, Spain
| | - Enrique Aubá
- Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Clínica Universidad de NavarraPamplona, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de NavarraNavarra, Spain
| | - Felipe Ortuño
- Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Clínica Universidad de NavarraPamplona, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de NavarraNavarra, Spain
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26
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Schneider S, Wagels L, Haeussinger FB, Fallgatter AJ, Ehlis AC, Rapp AM. Haemodynamic and electrophysiological markers of pragmatic language comprehension in schizophrenia. World J Biol Psychiatry 2015; 16:398-410. [PMID: 25816925 DOI: 10.3109/15622975.2015.1019359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The present study aimed at investigating neurophysiological markers of language perception in schizophrenia using simultaneous near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and event-related potentials (ERPs), which have been proven to be useful for studying language processing abilities in psychiatric patients. The study shall help to integrate previous findings from ERP and fMRI studies on figurative language comprehension in schizophrenia and elucidate how electrophysiological and haemodynamic markers of language processing are related. METHODS Twenty-two healthy subjects and 22 schizophrenia patients judged 120 sentences regarding their meaningfulness. Phrases were literal, metaphoric, or meaningless. EEG-fNIRS signals were recorded throughout the entire experiment. RESULTS Schizophrenia patients showed deficient and delayed sentence comprehension. Both the early N400 and left-hemispheric activation during language comprehension were altered in patients. Correlation analyses showed that metaphor-related ERPs were strongly linked to haemodynamic cortical activity in healthy subjects, but not in patients. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate group differences in cortical electrophysiological and haemodynamic activation that represent rather general impairments in the processing of complex language. Simultaneous EEG/NIRS applications are useful to depict these neural markers and to investigate their relationship. Future studies are needed to clarify the nature of respective anomalies and their potential as putative neural markers in schizophrenia research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Schneider
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Lisa Wagels
- b Department of Psychiatry , Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Aachen , Aachen , Germany
| | - Florian B Haeussinger
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Alexander M Rapp
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
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Ribolsi M, Feyaerts J, Vanheule S. Metaphor in psychosis: on the possible convergence of Lacanian theory and neuro-scientific research. Front Psychol 2015; 6:664. [PMID: 26089805 PMCID: PMC4452801 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Starting from the theories of leading psychiatrists, like Kraepelin and de Clérambault, the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901–1981) formulated an original theory of psychosis, focusing on the subject and on the structuring role of language. In particular, he postulated that language makes up the experience of subjectivity and that psychosis is marked by the absence of a crucial metaphorization process. Interestingly, in contemporary psychiatry there is growing empirical evidence that schizophrenia is characterized by abnormal interpretation of verbal and non-verbal information, with a great difficulty to put such information in the appropriate context. Neuro-scientific contributions have investigated this difficulty suggesting the possibility of interpreting schizophrenia as a semiotic disorder which makes the patients incapable of understanding the figurative meaning of the metaphoric speech, probably due to a dysfunction of certain right hemisphere areas, such as the right temporoparietal junction and the right superior/middle temporal gyrus. In this paper we first review the Lacanian theory of psychosis and neuro-scientific research in the field of symbolization and metaphoric speech. Next, we discuss possible convergences between both approaches, exploring how they might join and inspire one another. Clinical and neurophysiological research implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Ribolsi
- Clinica Psichiatrica, Dipartimento di Medicina dei Sistemi, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata , Rome, Italy ; Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Neuroscience Department, "Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù", Research Hospital , Rome, Italy
| | - Jasper Feyaerts
- Department of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stijn Vanheule
- Department of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
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28
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Zeev-Wolf M, Faust M, Levkovitz Y, Harpaz Y, Goldstein A. Magnetoencephalographic evidence of early right hemisphere overactivation during metaphor comprehension in schizophrenia. Psychophysiology 2015; 52:770-81. [PMID: 25603893 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Whereas language processing in neurotypical brains is left lateralized, individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) display a bilateral or reversed pattern of lateralization. We used MEG to investigate the implications of this atypicality on fine (left hemisphere) versus coarse (right hemisphere) semantic processing. Ten SZ and 14 controls were presented with fine (conventional metaphor, literal, and unrelated expressions) and coarse (novel metaphor) linguistic stimuli. Results showed greater activation of the right hemisphere for novel metaphors and greater bilateral activation for unrelated expressions at the M170 window in SZ. Moreover, at the M350, SZ showed reduced bilateral activation. We conclude that SZ are overreliant on early-stage coarse semantic processing. As a result, they jump too quickly to remote conclusions, with limited control over the meanings they form. This may explain one of the core symptoms of the disorder-loose associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maor Zeev-Wolf
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.,Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Miriam Faust
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.,Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Yechiel Levkovitz
- Emotion-Cognition Research Center, The Shalvata Mental Health Care Center, Hod-Hasharon, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Yuval Harpaz
- Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Abraham Goldstein
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.,Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
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29
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Columbus G, Sheikh NA, Côté-Lecaldare M, Häuser K, Baum SR, Titone D. Individual differences in executive control relate to metaphor processing: an eye movement study of sentence reading. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 8:1057. [PMID: 25628557 PMCID: PMC4292575 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.01057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Metaphors are common elements of language that allow us to creatively stretch the limits of word meaning. However, metaphors vary in their degree of novelty, which determines whether people must create new meanings on-line or retrieve previously known metaphorical meanings from memory. Such variations affect the degree to which general cognitive capacities such as executive control are required for successful comprehension. We investigated whether individual differences in executive control relate to metaphor processing using eye movement measures of reading. Thirty-nine participants read sentences including metaphors or idioms, another form of figurative language that is more likely to rely on meaning retrieval. They also completed the AX-CPT, a domain-general executive control task. In Experiment 1, we examined sentences containing metaphorical or literal uses of verbs, presented with or without prior context. In Experiment 2, we examined sentences containing idioms or literal phrases for the same participants to determine whether the link to executive control was qualitatively similar or different to Experiment 1. When metaphors were low familiar, all people read verbs used as metaphors more slowly than verbs used literally (this difference was smaller for high familiar metaphors). Executive control capacity modulated this pattern in that high executive control readers spent more time reading verbs when a prior context forced a particular interpretation (metaphorical or literal), and they had faster total metaphor reading times when there was a prior context. Interestingly, executive control did not relate to idiom processing for the same readers. Here, all readers had faster total reading times for high familiar idioms than literal phrases. Thus, executive control relates to metaphor but not idiom processing for these readers, and for the particular metaphor and idiom reading manipulations presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgie Columbus
- Department of Psychology, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada ; Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Naveed A Sheikh
- Department of Psychology, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada ; Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Katja Häuser
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada ; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Shari R Baum
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada ; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Debra Titone
- Department of Psychology, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada ; Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
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30
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Mashal N, Vishne T, Laor N. The role of the precuneus in metaphor comprehension: evidence from an fMRI study in people with schizophrenia and healthy participants. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:818. [PMID: 25360101 PMCID: PMC4199320 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Comprehension of conventional and novel metaphors involves traditional language-related cortical regions as well as non-language related regions. While semantic processing is crucial for understanding metaphors, it is not sufficient. Recently the precuneus has been identified as a region that mediates complex and highly integrated tasks, including retrieval of episodic memory and mental imagery. Although the understanding of non-literal language is relatively easy for healthy individuals, people with schizophrenia exhibit deficits in this domain. The present study aims to examine whether people with schizophrenia differentially recruit the precuneus, extending to the superior parietal (SP) cortex (SPL), to support their deficit in metaphor comprehension. We also examine interregional associations between the precuneus/SPL and language-related brain regions. Twelve people with schizophrenia and twelve healthy controls were scanned while silently reading literal word pairs, conventional metaphors, and novel metaphors. People with schizophrenia showed reduced comprehension of both conventional and novel metaphors. Analysis of functional connectivity found that the correlations between activation in the left precuneus/SPL and activation in the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (PSTS) were significant for both literal word pairs and novel metaphors, and significant correlations were found between activation in the right precuneus/SPL and activation in the right PSTS for the three types of semantic relations. These results were found in the schizophrenia group alone. Furthermore, relative to controls, people with schizophrenia demonstrated increased activation in the right precuneus/SPL. Our results may suggest that individuals with schizophrenia use mental imagery to support comprehension of both literal and metaphoric language. In particular, our findings indicate over-integration of language and non-language brain regions during more effortful processes of novel metaphor comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nira Mashal
- School of Education, Bar-Ilan University Ramat-Gan, Israel ; Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Tali Vishne
- Tel Aviv-Brull Community Mental Health Center Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nathaniel Laor
- Tel Aviv-Brull Community Mental Health Center Tel Aviv, Israel ; Child Study Center, Yale University New Haven, CT, USA
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31
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Pesciarelli F, Gamberoni T, Ferlazzo F, Lo Russo L, Pedrazzi F, Melati E, Cacciari C. Is the comprehension of idiomatic sentences indeed impaired in paranoid Schizophrenia? A window into semantic processing deficits. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:799. [PMID: 25346676 PMCID: PMC4190991 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia patients have been reported to be more impaired in comprehending non-literal than literal language since early studies on proverbs. Preference for literal rather than figurative interpretations continues to be documented. The main aim of this study was to establish whether patients are indeed able to use combinatorial semantic processing to comprehend literal sentences and both combinatorial analysis, and retrieval of pre-stored meanings to comprehend idiomatic sentences. The study employed a sentence continuation task in which subjects were asked to decide whether a target word was a sensible continuation of a previous sentence fragment to investigate idiomatic and literal sentence comprehension in patients with paranoid schizophrenia. Patients and healthy controls were faster in accepting sensible continuations than in rejecting non-sensible ones in both literal and idiomatic sentences. Patients were as accurate as controls in comprehending literal and idiomatic sentences, but they were overall slower than controls in all conditions. Once the contribution of cognitive covariates was partialled out, the response times (RTs) to sensible idiomatic continuations of patients did not significantly differ from those of controls. This suggests that the state of residual schizophrenia did not contribute to slower processing of sensible idioms above and beyond the cognitive deficits that are typically associated with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Pesciarelli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neurological Sciences, University of Modena Modena, Italy
| | - Tania Gamberoni
- Centro Salute Mentale Pavullo Modena, Italy ; Villa Igea Private Hospital Modena, Italy
| | - Fabio Ferlazzo
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Cristina Cacciari
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neurological Sciences, University of Modena Modena, Italy
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32
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Rapp AM, Langohr K, Mutschler DE, Klingberg S, Wild B, Erb M. Isn't it ironic? Neural correlates of irony comprehension in schizophrenia. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74224. [PMID: 24040207 PMCID: PMC3769349 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ironic remarks are frequent in everyday language and represent an important form of social cognition. Increasing evidence indicates a deficit in comprehension in schizophrenia. Several models for defective comprehension have been proposed, including possible roles of the medial prefrontal lobe, default mode network, inferior frontal gyri, mirror neurons, right cerebral hemisphere and a possible mediating role of schizotypal personality traits. We investigated the neural correlates of irony comprehension in schizophrenia by using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In a prosody-free reading paradigm, 15 female patients with schizophrenia and 15 healthy female controls silently read ironic and literal text vignettes during fMRI. Each text vignette ended in either an ironic (n = 22) or literal (n = 22) statement. Ironic and literal text vignettes were matched for word frequency, length, grammatical complexity, and syntax. After fMRI, the subjects performed an off-line test to detect error rate. In this test, the subjects indicated by button press whether the target sentence has ironic, literal, or meaningless content. Schizotypal personality traits were assessed using the German version of the schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ). Patients with schizophrenia made significantly more errors than did the controls (correct answers, 85.3% vs. 96.3%) on a behavioural level. Patients showed attenuated blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response during irony comprehension mainly in right hemisphere temporal regions (ironic>literal contrast) and in posterior medial prefrontal and left anterior insula regions (for ironic>visual baseline, but not for literal>visual baseline). In patients with schizophrenia, the parahippocampal gyrus showed increased activation. Across all subjects, BOLD response in the medial prefrontal area was negatively correlated with the SPQ score. These results highlight the role of the posterior medial prefrontal and right temporal regions in defective irony comprehension in schizophrenia and the mediating role of schizotypal personality traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Rapp
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
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